


Shakes and Songs

by scrapsandbolts



Series: Marvel Oneshots [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-03 02:27:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17275376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrapsandbolts/pseuds/scrapsandbolts
Summary: Bucky hides in a flower shop, despite being allergic to pollen. Enter Tony, the savior of Bucky's day.





	Shakes and Songs

James Barnes should seriously have thought this through. A hoodie, baseball cap, and sunglasses would not have hidden his identity. He was a famous singer, why did he think that would work? Stupid movies, always making it seem so easy to be disguised.

So here he was, James Buchanan Barnes, famous punk rock singer by the name of the Winter Soldier, hiding between a large bonsai plant and some sort of fern. All because a fan had spotted him and the resulting horde of teenage girls had terrified him so much that he took off running.

One, James had never been good while put on the spot. Two, he wasn’t good with impromptu crowds. And three, James was almost always anxious. These three facts collided with his fanbase, causing the perfect storm of panic that brought him to this moment in time. And sure, James may be allergic to pollen, but the watery eyes and simultaneous runny and stuffy nose was infinitely better than teenagers tripping over themselves in order to see him.

These were the times when he wondered if he should retire. Maybe life would be simpler, better, and he’d be able to see his old friends again without feeling awkward anymore.

“You’re either hiding or a plant freak, and you don’t look like a plant freak.” The voice startled James so much that he almost knocked the bonsai down. The voice’s owner chuckled, and James looked up at them.

The man in front of him was beautiful. Tanned skin, warm brown eyes, brown hair that curled slightly and hung in his eyes. James cursed himself and his innate ability to embarrass himself in front of cute guys and tried to crouch even more. Maybe he could collapse into himself and then he’d never have to deal with cute guys thinking he was crazy or crowds ever again.

“Why are you hiding in a florist’s shop when you clearly are allergic to something in here. I’m gonna guess pollen?” The man asked, and James nodded pathetically. The man squinted his eyes and they widened with recognition. Great, James was gonna have to run from the pretty florist too. “Oh my God, you’re that dude who left HYDRA Records and joined SHIELD. Jesus, I’m so sorry they were dicks to you,” The man apologized, and James blinked. Everyone thought he’d been lying about how they booked him for shows where he finished in New York and flew to Seoul before heading back to San Francisco in less than three days, and then took almost all of the profit and yelled at him when he couldn’t write new songs in order to get some sleep. They all thought he was just a dick.

“Umm, thanks?” James replied, confused. This guy looked nothing like his usual fans. Then again, he hadn’t been able to see his fans much with all the flying around. What did James know? He was just a dumb singer.

“Come on, you’re gonna get caught if you stay there. You can stay in the back until it’s safe to come out, okay?” James nodded and followed the florist into the back. It was small, and had a few pots and the wrap for bouquets with ribbons.

“Thank you, uh…” James trailed off, and the florist laughed.

“Tony. I’m Tony.”

“Thank you, Tony,” James finished, grinning. It’d been a long time since someone had been this nice to him. Steve used to do things like this when he could, but that bridge had burned when James started having all his time occupied by shows, flying, and writing while trying to squeeze in sleep. He hadn’t had any time to meet up with his friend, and Steve had stopped trying.

“No problem. I’ll just risk my life by hiding the Winter Soldier in the back room so his rabid fans won’t tear him limb from limb. Remember me if I get trampled by teenage girls,” Tony begged mockingly before leaving James alone.

Jesus, Tony was amazing. James was gonna end up half in love by the time the day was up, he was sure of it. Funny, sarcastic, and hot? Yep, he was a goner. RIP James Barnes. Died from falling in love with a stranger.

James sat on the floor, pulling out his phone to play a game and maybe write part of a new song. He’d been having writer’s block lately, and he had no idea why. Maybe he could write about this whole experience. That’d make a good song, right?

James hadn’t even gotten halfway through the level when his phone buzzed, a message from Coulson, his manager. James hoped to God it wasn’t a message about how he needed to write songs like the ones HYDRA used to send him.

Instead, it was Phil asking if he was okay. Apparently fans had taken to social media to share photos of him running or complaining about him not staying to talk with them.

In his defense, James had been trying to get some fruit from the farmers’ market; he wasn’t expecting a horde of fans to start chasing him. He panicked, okay?

James replied that he was okay, currently waiting it out somewhere no one would find him. He didn’t even get any fruit.

After about an hour, Tony came back in, holding a bag from a fast food restaurant. He was grinning triumphantly, and James wondered how he managed to hold four drinks in his hands and the bag.

“Okay, so I figured you were hungry, so I grabbed burgers, fries, and some soda and milkshakes. Is this okay? You aren’t allergic to anything?” Tony asked, and James grinned.

“Just pollen.” Tony laughed, handing James one of the sodas and one of the milkshakes. Somehow, Tony had found a raspberry Oreo milkshake and gave it to him. “How’d you know I’ve always wanted to try one of these?” James asked, and Tony grinned.

“Please, James. If I knew how HYDRA screwed you over, why wouldn’t I know what milkshake you’ve wanted to try? It was in the same interview I saw,” Tony explained, taking a sip of his milkshake.

“What flavor is that?” James asked, and Tony grinned. The milkshake had a multitude of color, dark brown, white, light brown, and what looked like cookie dough chunks.

“It’s a special milkshake they offer because I go there way too much. It’s called Tony’s Shake, and it’s cookie dough bits in their s’mores milkshake. Pretty cool, right? It’s like s’mores cookies, in a milkshake!” Tony was clearly excited, because his arms flailed and almost hit a pot.

“That sounds kinda weird, but cool. If I’m ever back here, I’m gonna try it.” James decided, and nodded a little.

“Why wait?” Tony asked, pulling an unused straw from the bag. “I thought you might like to try it, because who wouldn’t? So I brought an extra straw!” Tony put the straw into the shake, and offered it to James.

James took a small sip, and grinned as the many flavors combined. It did taste like s’mores cookies, and the raspberry Oreo shake was just as good. He really liked this part of New York. Maybe he’d move here someday.

“Aww, geez! I was so excited about the milkshakes I forgot about the food!” Tony shouted, smacking his head. He pulled out two burgers and two small bags of fries. “These are the best burgers ever, and the fries are to die for. I love this place so much.” Tony gushed, taking a huge bite of his burger. James took a much smaller bite, and he almost moaned.

“Jesus, is this place connected to heaven or something?” He asked, making Tony laugh. And wow was his laugh beautiful.

“I’ve been saying that for years! You know my godmother Peggy runs the place? It’s probably why she let me have a special named after me even though it doesn’t get a lot of orders,” Tony said, and James smiled.

“It’ll have more orders next time I’m here. This is the best part of the city ever!” Tony nodded, mouth full of burger. James chuckled and ate his own. They ate in companionable silence, only interrupted by James groaning at how good the food was and Tony laughing in response.

Once the food was gone, James stretched and relaxed against the wall of the room. Tony was next to him, and he was smiling widely.

“It’s decided, I’m never leaving this place,” James announced, and Tony laughed. “I’m serious. The farmer’s market is really cool, this shop is super pretty, and the food is amazing. I’m gonna stay here forever. No downsides whatsoever.”

“Wait a month,” Tony responded. “You’ll get bored of this small suburb and want to go somewhere more exciting. It’s happened before.” James shook his head, lightly tapping Tony’s shoulder with his own.

“If we’re being honest, I’ve never really liked the city. It’s so loud and flashy, and there’s so many people. I like it where I can visit the city once in a while, but I don’t have to stay. I can stay in a quieter place with nice neighbors and space between houses. Hell, a place with houses and not apartments everywhere you turn. I’d feel too crowded.”

“Seriously?” Tony asked, incredulous. “Literally everyone that’s ever claimed to be friends with you said the city suited you. They never mentioned anything about suburbs or countryside or something.”

“Yeah, well, I never told anybody else about it. I was too busy trying to write songs and sleep on all the planes I had to get on while saving every cent I earned.” James shrugged, and this time Tony bumped his side.

“You should’ve gotten more than pennies while HYDRA got everything else. You’re a good musician, James. You just got a bad deal.”

“Thanks, Tony. For everything. I doubt anyone else would be nice enough to hide me and buy me lunch.”

“Don’t forget comforting!” Tony added, before laughing with James. “I’m very good at comforting, ask anyone.”

“I don’t doubt it,” James replied, breathless from all the laughing. “I don’t think I’ve laughed this hard since before HYDRA.”

“I am honored that I could make you laugh so much, thank you for telling me. I will lord this over all of your fans, don’t think I won’t!” Tony joked, and James grinned. “We’re closing up early today, my boss has a birthday party soon. I guess our time is up,” Tony mumbled, watching as the lights slowly turned off in the shop. “I have to lock up soon.” Tony looked so sad, and James couldn’t stand to see that.

“Hey, I’m here for the rest of the week. You wanna help me figure out a more convincing disguise and take me to your godmother’s restaurant?” James asked, and Tony lit up like a Christmas tree. Jesus Christ, this boy was perfect. James had definitely fallen half in love with him already.

“Yes!” Tony exclaimed, then blushed. “Umm, I mean yes, I would like that very much.” Tony mumbled, and James chuckled, kissing his cheek.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, same time?” Tony nodded, leaving the back room with James. James was almost out the door when Tony’s voice stopped him.

“Don’t bring a horde of hormonal teenagers, alright? I nearly died.” James laughed, shaking his head.

“I won’t, I promise. At least I know where I’m going this time.” Tony’s smile made the dark room light up, James would swear it until the day he died.

“Tomorrow, then, James. Don’t be late!” And James left, grinning the entire way to the hotel.

Phil texted him, asking if he got home okay, and James smiled.

_Yeah, I’m good. A guardian angel came to help me in my time of need. _Huh, this definitely would make a good song. James was sure of it.__

__He’d name it Tony’s Shake, because inside jokes as song titles was his favorite thing ever. Hopefully Tony would like it._ _

__Who was he kidding, Tony would love it. He’d lord this over everyone, completely serious this time. It made James smile. He couldn’t wait to tell Tony._ _

__“Goddammit, I didn’t get his number.”_ _


End file.
